In a poignant article in The Advocate about “The Perfect Storm Facing Black Men on HIV,” HRC HIV & AIDS Project Manger Marvell L. Terry II spoke to some of the reasons Black gay and bisexual men, particularly those living in the South, continue to bear the brunt of new HIV transmissions.

“There is very little culturally competent health care for us and very poor access to healthcare in Memphis,” Terry says in The Advocate. “There is still much racism. Add to that the layer of being a black gay man in a Southern city where you have the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination.”

Terry, a native of Memphis, Tennessee was first diagnosed with HIV eight years ago. Determined to improve the lives of Black LGBT people around him, Terry founded The Red Door Foundation (TRDF), which provides technical assistance, capacity-building services and community support. TRDF is also the driving force behind the Saving Ourselves Symposium, a national conference focused on empowering and encouraging Black LGBT people in the South.